1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a latch assembly for a seat of a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a latch assembly for releasably securing a seat cushion to a floor of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The availability of a large amount of storage space within a motor vehicle interior is a highly desirable feature for many vehicle owners. For this reason, seats within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle are often movable between an upright passenger supporting position and a stowed position. A rear seat may be moved from the passenger supporting position to the stowed position by pulling a seat cushion, which is initially generally horizontal relative to a vehicle floor, upwardly and outwardly away from a seat back so that the seat cushion is generally perpendicular to the floor. The seat back is then folded into the space vacated by the seat cushion to create a table for loading of various items thereon.
It is desirable for the seat cushion to be securely locked to the floor when the rear seat is in the passenger supporting position. Current locking methods include attaching a steel or plastic clip to a floor bracket on the floor. The clip engages a striker, which extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the seat cushion, to maintain the seat cushion generally horizontal relative to the floor. The clips utilized are not, however, adaptable to small variances in striker location, striker diameter differences, clip dimensions, and shape variances. As a result, the engagement between the clip and the striker may be too tight or loose. If the attachment of the striker to the clip is too tight, a great deal of manual effort is required to effect the attachment. And if the attachment is loose, rattling and squeaking occurs as the clip and the striker move relative to one another during motor vehicle operation.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,776 discloses a device for selectively disengaging a coupling between a seat and a floor of a motor vehicle. The seat, which is mounted on the floor, includes a seat cushion and a seat back projecting upwardly from the a rear region of the seat cushion. The seat cushion, which is supported by a metal framework, is mounted on the floor by hinge units fixed to a front end of the framework. A hooked element is fixed to the floor beneath a rear region of the framework. The framework of the seat cushion has a recess with an edge facing a tip of the hooked element. A coupling element, which is 8-shaped, includes an outer loop and an inner loop. The outer loop surrounds the tip of the hooked element. The coupling element is also fixed to the framework. When the coupling element is in a rest position, any forward tilting of the seat cushion is prevented by engagement of the coupling element around the hooked element. A flexible tie is fitted around the inner loop of the coupling element. An opposite end of the tie extends between a gap between a rear edge of the seat cushion and a lower edge of the seat back. The pulling of the tie enables the coupling element to bend so as to release the outer loop from the top of the hooked element. As a result, the seat cushion is released from the floor and can be tilted upwards and forward.
There remains, however, a need for a more secure connection between a seat cushion and a floor of a motor vehicle when a rear seat is in a passenger supporting position.
A latch assembly is provided for securing a striker of a seat cushion to a floor of a motor vehicle. The latch assembly includes a hinge bracket fixedly secured to the floor. The hinge bracket includes an elongated slot for receiving the striker therethrough. The latch assembly also includes a retainer mechanism coupled to the hinge bracket. The retainer mechanism selectively locks the striker within the elongated slot to secure the seat cushion in a passenger supporting position generally horizontal relative to the floor.